Blind-fastener.



P. H. STEDMAN.

BLIND FASTENEH. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 27, 1513.

1,1 15,126. Patented 0013.27, 1914.

S c0, PHOTO-L!THO.. WASHINGTONv 01C PASCAL I-I. STEDMAN, 0F NEWPORT, RI-IODE ISLAND.

BLIND-FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 2'7, 1914.

Application filed August 27, 1913. Serial No. 786,901.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PASCAL H. STEDMAN, citizen of the United States, residing at Newport, in the county of Newport and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain-new and useful Improvements in Blind- Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to new and useful improvements in blind fasteners, the object of my invention beingto provide a fastener which may be utilized. to secure the blind in closed position or to fasten the same in open position against the outer wall of the house, as preferred.

A further object of my invention is to so arrange the fastener that in either instance it will be entirely automatic in its action. And a still further object of my invention is to provide the fastenerxwith a locking lever which in no way" interferes with its actionto automaticallyfasten the blind in either position, but whichiwhen swung to active position vwill serve as a positive lock.

to prevent casual or unauthorized disengagement of the fastener and release of the blind. o

With these and other objects in view, my invention will be more fully described, illustrated. in the accompan ing drawing, and then'specifically pointe out in the claims which'are attached hereto and form a part of thisapplication.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is an elevational view showing my. improved fastener in use upon a pair of blinds, one fastener being employed upon each blind and one of the blinds being shown in closedfposition and the other in open position to show the front and rear of their respective fasteners; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional View on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the latch-supporting plates removed from the rest of the fastener.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawing by the same reference characters. i

The improved blind fastener illustrated in the drawings, and hereinafter described, may be employed upon any type of blind and it is therefore, shown in connection with a conventional form of blind 10. In applying the fastener to'the blind, the latter is.

provided adjacent its lower end with a verproper.

staple.

tically disposed, transversely formed slot 11, the slot being preferably formed adjacent that end of the blind which meets its companion when the blinds are closed. The outer face of the blind, about the slot, is protected by a plate 12, preferably formed of metal and provided with a slot 18 in alinement with the slot 11, the said slot serving to limit the swinging movement of the latch bar 14 constituting the fastener This latch bar is swingingly mounted intermediate its length and. centrally of the slot upon a pivot 15 which is, in effect, a rivet passed through perforations 16 of supporting plates 17, two of these plates being provided to extend one upon either side of the latch bar and the rivet servingto fasten the plates and latch bar together, as well as a pivot for the latch bar. The plates 17, as shown in Fig. 3', are preferably' bshaped and their free arms bear. against the inner faces of the blinds at elther side of the slot 11 to protect the same,

the plates being secured in place by screws .18 passed through perforations 19 formed in saidfree ends.

The latch bar 14: is substantially rectangular in shape provided at its ends with enlarged heads 20 and 21., the former profjecting beyond the inner face of the blind, while the latter projects'beyond the outer face thereof. The head 20 has its outer edge formed at an incline, as at 22, to ride freely over the blght portion of a staple 23 secured in the sill of the window casing '24. The lower edge of the head 20 is pro vided with a vertically formed slot 25 to receivethe bight portion of the staple 23 and with a downwardly andoutwardly directed stop lip 26 which projects below the lower portion of the'inclined edge 22 of the head to engage against the staple when the latch plate has ridden over the same and thus prevent further inward swinging of the blind.

The head 21 has its end edge inclined upwardly and inwardly toward the blind,

as shown at'27, and its upper edge provided That portion of the latch bar between the faceof the blind and the head, 20 is provided with a perforation 32 and a looking lever 33 is passed through this perforation, one end of the locking lever being bent upwardly, as at 3%, and terminat which the locking lever is swingingly mounted upon the blind. The opposite end of the locking lever is bent inwardly somewhat to bear against the inner face of the blind and passes through a vertically, disposed guide staple 36 carried by the blind,its free terminal being outsprung, as at 37, in Orderthat it may be readily grasped by the-operator. This locking lever is preferably formed of resilient metal and when inactive rests upon a stud or pin 38 mounted in theblind adjacent the staple 36 and slightly above the lower arm of the same. lVhen the locking lever is in this position, the latch bar 14: extends horizontally and its inclined end edges 22 and 27 are, therefore, in position to engage either the staple 2 3 or the staple 29, according to which way theblind-is swung. As soon as either end has ridden past its staple, the weight of the locking lever, this lever having been raised through engagement of one of the heads with its staple fastener, swings the latch bar back to horizontal or locked p0 sition. p i

If the blind is to be permanently loclred in either opened or closed position, the outbent. terminal '37. of the locking lever is grasped by the operator and the locking lever sprung outwardly past the free end of the stud 38 and then forced downwardly to rest against the lower arm of the staple 36 when it is released. As'soon' as released, the resiliency of the lever swings the same inwardly against the blind and beneath the stud38 to hold it against upward movement and, therefore, to hold the latch bar against movement. The perforation 32 formed in the latch bar should be of sufficient size to permit free swinging of theloclring lever 33 and the downward movement of the locking lever necessary to position it'below the stud should be as slight as possible.

The foregoing description, taken in con- "nection with the drawing, renders any explanation of the operation of my improved latch unnecessary. It will be understood, however, that I donot wish in any way to be limited to the specific details of con struction illustrated and described, as various minor changes, within the scope of the appended claims, may be made at any time without departing from the spirit of my present invention.

By mounting the latches adjacent the meetingedges of the blinds and extending the operating levers toward the hinged mg in an eye 35 to receive a screw 36 by edges thereof, it will be apparent that when the blinds are locked in open position the free end of the lever will be readily aocessible to anyone within the house and they will not be forced to reach across the blind in order to release the same. time, the latch fastening the blind being near its free edge, holds the same much more firmly than it would if mounted near the hinge.

' As will be seen by reference to Fig. 2, the

notches 2'5 and 28 are slightly V-shaped in order to provide converging side-edges be-.

tween which the bight' portions of the staples 23 and 29, respectively, are engaged. The staples should be so positioned that their bight portions lie in the same horizontal plane with the pivot pin or shaft 15 of the fastener. Because of the V-shaped formation of theslots, all rattling of the blind, due to varying sizes of staples or wear of parts, is avoided as a wedging action takes place between the latch bar and staples. It isimportant that the staples be in the same horizontal p'lane'with the pivot pin of the latch baras' otherwise the latch would not remain fastened against strain, unless absolutely locked by the lever 33.

What I claim is 1. In a blind fastener, the combination with a blind having a vertically formed slot,

of a latch bar pivoted intermediate its length in the slot, said latch bar being provided at itsends with heads, one'of 'the'heads being provided with a downwardly extending slot and an upwardly inclined cam facefo-re'n- .gagement with a staple and the other of said {heads with an upwardly extending slot and .a downwardly inclined: cam face for en .gagement with a staple, a latch operating 1ever passed through the latch baradia'cent one head and pivotally connected at one end to the blind, and a guide staple limiting the swinging movement of the freeend of said lever. I

2. In a blind fastener, the combination with a blind having a vertically formed slot,"

of a latch bar pivoted intermediate its length in the slot, said latch bar being provided at its ends with heads, one of the heads being provided with a downwardly'extending slot and an upwardly inclined cam face for en- At the same gagement with a staple and theother of said heads with an upwardly extending slot and a downwardly inclined cam face for engagement with a staple, avlatch operating lever passed through the latch bar adjacent onehead and ivotally connected at one end to the blind, a guide staple limiting the swinging movement of the free end of said lever, and a stop adi acent the staple adapted to support the lever in one position and to {lock the sameagainst movement in another positlon.

In a

blind fastener the combination with a blind having a vertically disposed slot, of a slotted plate secured to one face of the blind with its slot in alinement with the slot thereof, supporting plates secured one upon either side of the slot upon the other side of the blind and having arms eX- tending into the slot, a latch bar pivotally mounted between the arms of said plates and provided at its ends with oppositely formed staple-engaging heads, said latch bar being provided adjacent one head with an open .ing, a lever formed of resilient material extending loosely through the opening and pivoted by one end to the blind, a vertically disposed guide staple carried by the blind and through which the free end of the lever extends, and a stud carried by the blind in slightly spaced relation below the lower arm of the guide staple and with its outer end terminating short of the bight portion of said staple.

' 4. In a blind fastener, a latch bar adapted to be pivotally mounted intermediate its length and provided at its ends with heads, one of the heads being provided With a downwardly extending V-shaped slot and the other of said heads with an upwardly extending V-shaped slot, said slots, at their inner ends, being narrower than the keepers they are to seat.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PASGAL H. STEDMAN. Witnesses:

EDWARD A. BATES, WILLIAM J. THOMAS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

